As we talked about the attacks in France and Nigeria and why
France received an abundance of coverage while we heard virtually nothing about
Nigeria, I felt the answer could be simple. Using the six points of interest
discussed in our Writing for Media Class, our answer can be found. Review the
points of interest in a story:
1. Impact - how many people affected
2. Conflict
3. Novelty
4. Prominence
5. Proximity
6. Timeliness
The story in France had more novelty, prominence, proximity (as a
bird flies from Paris to SGU is about 5335 miles while 7393 miles from SGU to
Lagos) and timeliness. This left the Nigerian story having more impact, and conflict.
From a pure mathematical stand point the attack in France would win out in an
oversaturated news media world; yet this formulation does not do either tragic
event justice. I began to think about what other reasons our media would care
more about France than Nigeria.
Overall, Americans seem to typify more toward the French - after
all they gave us the Statue of Liberty. I am also guessing that more people
from the US have visited France rather than the poverty stricken Nigeria, possibly
causing many Americans to feel more connected. Because I have a friend who has lived
in Nigeria I understand feeling connected and influenced by a culture - always seeking
information and knowledge about a place to stay connected. When my friend was
in Nigeria I kept up on Nigerian news regularly and could tell you many
happenings in the country. When my friend returned home, I quit following the Nigerian
news. The first I heard about this bombing was in class and the blog. In my
case, connection played a huge roll.
It is also quite possible that the aide of available technology was
a key factor. France has more people carrying smartphones than they do in Nigeria;
which certainly helped spread the news more quickly around the world.
These reasons alone could satisfy my thoughts about the topic. But
what I heard in the radio broadcast shocked. The Nigerian bombings were not
even news in Nigeria?!
I don’t understand this at all. Americans tend to
be more self-focused these days. In the United States the word of the year over
the past two years were “selfie” (2013) and “vape” (2014). Both words come from
people trying to gain pleasure, attempting to focus as much recognition on “self”
and “pleasure” as possible. When we factor in our “words of the year,” it’s no
wonder the US only pays attention to a select, few news stories. Our mentality
is if it’s not about me, it’s not important.
How can something so horrific not even be news in your own country?
The only reason I can could think of is that the attacks lacked novelty. Has Nigeria
become a culture that is numb to the awful truths of terrorism? No. There are
some things in life that people just cannot grow numb to. The broadcast left me
confused. Has “western” news gone so far as to dominate every story even in non-western countries?
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